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You’ll usually need to prime a garage floor before painting—especially if the floor is unpainted. Garage floors are made from concrete, which is porous and produces dust. The dust can contaminate the paint and cause issues with adherence. 

Primer creates a barrier and gives you a clean surface to work on. It also minimizes absorption to help give you an even, pro-looking paint job. Make sure you choose a primer that’s specifically designed to cover concrete flooring.

Epoxy coatings for garage floors offer a variety of finish and design options, including:

• Decorative colored flakes: $10 per 250-pound bag

• Metallic epoxy: $5–$12 per square foot

• Rock or stone epoxy: $100 per gallon

• Acrylic and poly-acrylic sealants: $0.85–$1.15 per square foot

• Polyurethane sealant: $0.95–$1.10 per square foot

• Polyurea sealant: $150 per gallon

Unlike paint, concrete stain won’t peel off. Instead, the color absorbs into the surface of this porous building material. While it doesn’t peel, the stain only penetrates the top layer of concrete, and as the top of the concrete eventually wears away, so will the stain. However, this process is much slower than paint peeling, especially on low-traffic surfaces.

You can whiten concrete for unsealed and unfinished concrete with a solution or either muriatic acid or bleach and water—but never both. However, if your concrete does have a stain, finish, or polish, keep in mind that these hard chemicals could damage the topcoat. Your best bet otherwise is to power wash outdoor concrete slabs or clean indoor ones with a gentle cleaner such as laundry or dish detergent.